Scottish baking is enjoying an upsurge of quality produce and grass roots variety on a par with the surge in the craft beer and gin market, one of the country’s leading family bakers has said.

George Asher, managing director of Nairn-based Ashers Bakery and a leading light on the trade group Scottish Bakers, told Business Insider that the runaway success of the hit reality TV show The Great British Bake Off had helped “raise the profile of the industry” and “brought more people to consider a career as a baker”.

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He said that “by showing how passionate people can get about baking the show has made our job a lot easier.”

Mr Asher pointed to a significant number of “artisan” bakeries springing up throughout Scotland, one of the most high-profile being Aran in Dunkeld, a crowd-funded venture launched by former Bake Off contestant Flora Sheddon.

He said: “It’s a very dynamic scene. I think previously Scottish bakery was dominated by a few big players, with quite a lot of smaller regional bakers like Ashers, which is based around the North East. They all have their place, and since baking has become higher profile, lots more people have been setting up artisan and craft bakeries.”

“I think it’s good these young businesses don’t necessarily stick to the traditional guide book, they are doing things differently, and are focused on taste and quality. The emphasis is on the artisan techniques and hand-made appeal. I applaud that, as anything that keeps the industry alive is a good thing.”

Mr Asher added: “It’s parallel to the recent explosion in distilleries, in local gin brands, and craft beer. All of these industries are coming up from ground level and making it really interesting. We small bakers can do things that huge multinationals can’t”.

Asher, 52, is the great grandson of the founder of the family firm, launched in the 1880s. Employing 160 people, it has 14 outlets of our own and sells its products in Scotmid and Spar supermarket.

He said that the firm had no plans to expand outside of the region, as “everything is local and the majority of our products are made fresh every day.”

He stressed the importance of continued product innovation, citing Asher’s own new ranges of gift products, such as whisky-infused cakes.

Asked if he felt that the bakery industry, which makes a significant proportion of its earnings from sugary, creamy and iced products was likely to come under pressure from the health lobby he said

“No, I don’t think so. People can have three sugary drinks a day, but they will rarely have three cakes, but we have to be aware of that as a factor. But our outlets also sell products that are very good for you, such as soups, and sourdough breads and wholemeal breads.”

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The bigger threat to the industry he said, was fluctuations in the price of key ingredients such as eggs and butter, both of which have suffered sharp price increases, due to factors such as high demand from China and avian flu on the European continent.

Established in 1891 and formerly known as the Scottish Association of Master Bakers, Scottish Bakers, represents and promotes the interests of the bakery trade in Scotland, providing a range of specialist support services for bakers of all sizes. It’s aim is to raise the profile of the industry, lobby government on policy, and improve standards of training and professionalism within the industry.